Modelling and simulation of antibody purification

Due to their high specificity against target antigens, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have proven to be a very powerful tool for diagnostic and therapeutic purpose against several diseases. Currently there are over 26 mAb approved for therapeutic use by the FDA. The manufacture of mAbs is a complex process where purification plays a key role. This project proposes and simulates a purification process based on an array of chromatographic columns. The different employed columns were modelled by kinetic dispersive models using parameters from available bibliography as well as some assumptions. The proposed method consists of five columns connected in series and offered arguably good results with a purity and yield of the target mAb of~90% and ~85% respectively.Monoclonal antibodies are a group of molecules with growing interest in the pharmaceutical industry. The different variations of this biomolecules are capable of identifying and binding to a wide variety of targets such as viruses, cancer cells or other agents causing diseases. This makes monoclonal antibodies a very powerful tool for diagnosis and therapy of diseases. One of the critical steps in the manufacture of monoclonal antibodies is the purification process. The purpose of this work is to define a purification process and simulate it to predict the expected results. In order to purify the target antibody it must be separated from the impurities present in the initial solution, which is achieved by using chromatographic columns which retain the different components more or less time depending on physical and chemical interactions, this means that some components will leave the column earlier while others will take longer allowing us the separate the target antibody from the impurities. These different columns separate the components on the basis of their different charge, affinity to bind to a biomolecule and the different size of the components. The simulated purification process consists of five different columns connected in series where the outflow of one column continuously feeds the next one. This simulation showed promising results as over 90% purity was reached with a high yield of product and there is margin to refine the process

Spillover Effects of Quota or Parity Laws: The Case of Ecuador Women Mayors

Do quota or parity laws designed to improve the representation of women in plurinominal elections have a spillover effect to uninominal elections? We empirically test this theory by analyzing the effects of quota and parity legislations implemented in Ecuador for plurinominal elections on the proportion of women elected as mayors. Through an unpublished database, our results show that after the implementation of such legislation, the probability of a woman being elected as mayor almost doubles (ceteris paribus). We also find evidence that a possible causal chain for the documented spillover effects is the increasing importance of female role models, motivated by institutional changes shaped by the new legislation

Convolutional Goppa Codes

We define Convolutional Goppa Codes over algebraic curves and construct their corresponding dual codes. Examples over the projective line and over elliptic curves are described, obtaining in particular some Maximum-Distance Separable (MDS) convolutional codes.Comment: 8 pages, submitted to IEEE Trans. Inform. Theor

Cooperative Project-based Learning for Machine Design in the Industrial Engineering Program: Methodologies and Experiences

Non

A facile quantitative assay for viral particle genesis reveals cooperativity in virion assembly and saturation of an antiviral protein

Conventional assays of viral particle assembly and release are time consuming and laborious. We have developed an enzymatic virus-like particle (VLP) genesis assay that rapid and quantitative and is also versatile and applicable to diverse viruses including HIV-1 and Ebola virus. Using this assay, which has a dynamic range of several orders of magnitude, we show that the efficiency of VLP assembly and release, i.e., the fraction of the expressed protein that is assembled into extracellular particles, is dependent on the absolute level of expression of either HIV-1 Gag or Ebola virus VP40. We also demonstrate that the activity of the antiviral factor tetherin is dependent on the level of HIV-1 Gag expression and the numbers of VLPs generated, and appears to become saturated as these parameters are increased

A study of factors that influence growth performance and carcass and meat quality of iberian pigs reared under intensive management systems : Estudio de los factores que influyen sobre la productividad y la calidad de la canal y la carne de cerdo Ibérico en intensivo

The general aim of this Doctoral Thesis has been to study the influence of factors that influence growth performance and carcass and meat quality of Iberian (IB) pigs reared under intensive management systems. The influence of gender and castration of females, slaughter weight, feed restriction and terminal sire line were studied. To reach these goals, four trials were carried out. In the first trial a total of 360 IB dam x Spanish Duroc sire pigs was used to study the influence of gender and castration (intact females, IF vs. castrated females, CF vs. castrated males, CM) and slaughter weight (SW; 145 vs. 156 kg body weight, BW) on performance and carcass and meat quality. Pigs that were slaughtered with 145 kg BW (251 d of age) began the trial with 20 kg BW (80 d of age) and pigs that were slaughtered with 156 kg BW (268 d of age) began the trial with 30 kg BW (97 d of age). Meat samples were taken at m. Longissimus dorsi at the level of the last rib and backfat (BF) samples were taken at the tail insertion. Fatty acid profile of BF was not analysed in the pigs slaughtered at 156 kg BW and therefore only the fatty acid profile of each gender from pigs slaughtered at 145 kg BW were compared. There were six treatments with four replicates each. The experimental unit was a pen (15 pigs for productive performance and carcass quality, four pigs for meat quality and two pigs for fatty acid profile of BF). For the entire experiment, IF ate less feed (2.72 vs. 2.85 and 2.92 kg/d; P0,10). For the entire experiment (from 20 to 145 and from 30 to 156 kg BW, respectively), pigs slaughtered at 145 kg BW ate less feed (2.74 vs. 2.92 kg/d; P0.10). It is concluded that intact females are an alternative to castrated females for intensive production of Iberian pigs. Also, the reduction in slaughter weight from 156 to 145 kg body weight is recommended for this type of production. In the second trial, IB × Duroc pigs (n=168), with an average age of 152 d (42 ± 2 kg) were used to investigate the influence of feeding regimen (ad libitum access to feed, AL vs. 82% of AL from 152 to 201 d of age and 72% from 202 to 263 d of age, FR) and gender (intact females, IF vs. castrated females, CF vs. castrated males, CM) on growth performance and carcass and meat quality. For the last 54 d before slaughter at 317 d of age, all pigs had AL access to feed. Meat samples were taken at m. Longissimus dorsi at the level of the last rib. Between 152 and 263 d of age, pigs consuming AL had greater (P0.10) affect pork quality. Intact females tended (P0.10). Duroc sired pigs grew faster (689 vs. 549 g/d; P0.10). It is concluded that productive performance and primal cuts yield are higher for intact females than for castrated males. Danish Duroc sires are a good alternative to Spanish Duroc and Retinto Iberian sires for production of Iberian pigs under intensive systems

La Rebelión de Los Esclavos: Tragedia y posibilidad en el teatro de Raúl Hernández Garrido

Thesis advisor: Irene MizrahiThis study is an analysis of the theatre of the Spanish contemporary playwright Raúl Hernández Garrido. It explores in depth his tragedy Los engranajes and it applies (in a more referential manner) the results of this investigation to the rest of his plays: Los malditos, Los restos: Agamenón vuelve a casa and Los restos Fedra, included in the cycle Los esclavos. The author utilizes myth and greek tragedy intentionally in order to make readers reflect upon the concepts of destiny and the fragility of human action as well as the fragmentation, hopelessness and dissatisfaction of contemporary societies. My study demonstrates that the formal innovation of these plays and the use of tragedy as their argumental framework present not only a criticism about these concepts but also an approach towards change and a social ethic of hope founded in creative freedom and the cooperation between the text and all people involved in the creative process. As a theoretical frame of reference for my study I use texts from Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, Friedrich Nietzsche, René Girard and Emmanuel Levinas. Their reflections about the genre of tragedy and/or the concept of the tragic shed light upon my analysis of themes such as human suffering, trauma, the abuse of power, violence and the ethics of responsibility in the works of our author.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Romance Languages and Literatures